Every week, Supercharged tackles a complex—and sometimes unusual—question about technology, science, psychology, and human existence to find out how we can approach life better in our rapidly changing world.

187: How to Bring a Game to Life

This week on Supercharged, Tommy and Adam bring game developer Ben Wander back to discuss the launch of his new game, A Case of Distrust. The game debuted with exceptional reviews, but no complex experience—especially indie games—can come to life without a series of hurdles and hiccups. Ben describes the process and humbly imparts a few words of wisdom for game developers with dreams of similar success.

A Case of Distrust is perfect video game noirPolygon: "A statuette is the first thing that clues me in to this game’s smarts. It’s a bird of prey, maybe 10 inches tall. It sits on the bookshelf in a young woman’s apartment. She’s a detective living in San Francisco in 1924. She’s also the protagonist of A Case of Distrust."

The Institute"Welcome to the Jejune Institute, a mind-bending San Francisco phenomenon where 10,000 people became 'inducted' without ever quite realizing what they'd signed up for. Was it a cult? Was it an elaborate game? Told from the participants’ perspectives, the film looks over the precipice at an emergent new art form where real world and fictional narratives collide, creating unforeseen and often unsettling consequences. Fusing elements of counter-culture, new religious movements and street art, THE INSTITUTE invites viewers down the rabbit hole into a secret underground world teeming just beneath the surface of everyday life."

I Love BeesWikipedia: "I Love Bees (also known as ilovebees or ILB for short) was an alternate reality game (ARG) that served as both a real-world experience and viral marketing campaign for the release of developer Bungie's 2004 video game Halo 2. The game was created and developed by 42 Entertainment. Many of the same personnel had previously created an ARG for the film A.I. titled The Beast. I Love Bees was commissioned by Microsoft, Halo 2's publisher."

the tension experience"For 9 months, participants of an elaborate ARG (alternate reality game) unlocked the secrets of a mysterious cult and altered its very narrative along the way. This journey accumulated in a block long, site specific 2 hour immersive experience where the audience became the star of their own psychological thriller. The Tension Experience generated unprecedented reviews and a life altering entertainment for those who dared participate."